What we don't know about interim coach Mike Woodson and other Knicks links

Chris Trotman/Getty ImagesKnicks fans and Carmelo Anthony know that interim coach Mike Woodson is all about accountability. What isn't well known is why Woodson hasn't been back to Rucker Park since 1980 and why his high school coach Bill Smith once got into a heated argument with legendary Indiana coach Bobby Knight.

What can you say about Knicks interim coach Mike Woodson?

He's pushed the team to a 4-0 record since his promotion last week, and, more importantly, Woodson has each and every player fighting to win.

If anyone had said that Tyson Chandler would get four rebounds in a game, we'd all assume that the Knicks were going to get pounded on the boards. But that was the case in last night's 106-87 win over the Toronto Raptors, and yet, Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire combined for 20 rebounds as New York held a 46-30 advantage on the boards (including a 16-4 edge on the offensive glass). Anthony ignited a fast break by making a difficult steal; Jeremy Lin pushed the tempo on offense while his bloody nose was packed with gauze; it just seemed everywhere you looked last night, some Knicks player was digging a little deeper than he had a week ago.

But this is all we know of Woodson. At this point, we're just making assumptions about his personality based on what we see from the Knicks on the floor.

He discussed some fond memories of playing with former Knicks president and coach Isiah Thomas at Indiana and his experience learning under coach Bobby Knight. Woodson also described an argument between his high school coach at Broad Ripple in Indianapolis, current Knicks consultant Bill Smith, and Knight over how he'd be used in Bloomington. Eventually Knight and Smith became friends, Woodson said, but the argument did have to be broken up by the family pastor.

Woodson went on to say why, after being drafted by the Knicks in 1980, he taught a shooting clinic at Rucker Park and has never returned to the famed playground again.

"I get up there," Woodson said, "and the wind's blowing a little bit, chain nets, and I'm a shooter now, supposed to be anyway. I couldn't make a shot. So the Kids--'Oh you stink Woodson... you stink.' I have not been back to Rucker Park since."

Most important for Knicks fans, Woodson made his intentions with the Knicks absolutely clear.

"They have a legitimate shot to win the title," Woodson told Serby. "When the playoffs come around, it's open season. Who's playing the hardest, the best... who believes that they can really get it done. Homecourt and all that goes out the door. It's great to have homecourt, but hey, we (2004 Detroit Pistons) didn't have it in the Eastern Conference Final that year, and we ended up beating the Pacers. We didn't have it in the Finals that year, and we beat the Lakers... and if these guys are honest with themselves and hold each other accountable, their credibility is rollin' high, man, anything can happen in a playoff series. Anything."

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Other Knicks news:

The Knicks were "dominated" by the 76ers 10 days ago, Al Iannazzone of Newsday pointed out, but a win on Wednesday can keep their hopes of winning a division title alive. "Absolutely, always been our goal," Anthony said. "There's no reason for us not to be thinking about that right now."

Did Woodson suggest the Knicks would be better off had Anthony put in more defensive effort earlier in the season? As Isola noted, Woodson told the media before Tuesday's win that "we probably wouldn't be sitting in this position that we're sitting in today, fighting for a playoff spot," had Anthony shown this level of effort earlier in the year. (You can also check out NJ.com's blog piece for the full quote)

Even though Anthony hit just 5 of 15 shots from the field, The New York Times' Howard Beck says that he's playing a "complete game" now as opposed to being just a scorer. "He's been playing phenomenal, he really has," Stoudemire said, as quoted by Beck. "He's been facilitating. Teams have been double-teaming him; he's been doing a great job of finding guys when they're open. He's been a great leader out there on the court. He's playing great defensively. So that's something that we look forward to from him."

D'Antoni did get some support from Raptors president Bryan Colangelo, who was the president and general manager of the Suns when D'Antoni coached in Phoenix. "Mike's system can work but you have to have the right personnel and the right mind-set to do it," Colangelo told Steve Popper of the Bergen Record.

A note of introduction: My name is Alex Raskin and this is the new-look NJ.com New York Knicks blog. Over the past four years I’ve covered the NBA and NFL for outlets such as CBSSports.com, HOOPSWORLD and the Wall Street Journal, and now I’m very excited to contribute to NJ.com We’ll be aggregating daily news on the team, previewing games, giving reactions and discussing everything concerning the New York Knicks. This forum is about engaging Knicks fans, so please feel free to comment, ask questions or give opinions. You can always Tweet me @alexraskinNYC.